UConn Football adds H/H with UAB (2024/2025)

[shizzle787]

I don't think this is a great pick-up. However, out of the teams in the MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt, there aren't many I would want to schedule but UAB, Buffalo, and Appalachian State are ok. That being said, we are forced into scheduling games because we are behind on getting games scheduled. We need to focus on 7-8 years down the road NOW so that we can get better games then.

My goal is that we schedule 6 P5 programs a year (one body-bag game in November and five home and homes in September), Army, UMass, FCS, BYU/Liberty and two other G5 programs out of the AAC or MW.

 

[uconnbill]

Not a bad trip to a state that has some decent players remember Lawrence Wilson and Jory Johnson two linebackers from Alabama that played in the 2010 season. Also nearby northern Florida and western Georgia.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Most exciting game ever? Of course not. Something really intriguing? Not to me. Great city/location to visit? Not really.

But, in the end, as others have said, you have to fill a schedule, and right now based on UConn's last 8 years, this is a good match up talent wise.

So, in conclusion, it's a thumbs up.

 

[Watchdog]

Hopefully the roadwork just off downtown will be finished by then. We drove through the area twice in the past two years and the detours were a real mess. In fact, maybe this stadium was the reason for the road work.

 

[UCFBfan]

Agree on lack of excitement over UAB but at the same time there's other aspects that make sense. Good game to play for recruiting aspects. Play in deep south, closer to northern Florida. We don't play in the Alabama area and it doesn't hurt to expose ourselves there a little. Like others have said, it also is a game that fills a November spot. Plus, UAB has been a solid team the past few seasons and I'd rather play them than a weaker CUSA team that has a tiny bit more of a "name".

I am also just blown away at how this program went from being shut down to now having a brand new stadium. That's just crazy to me.

 

[BlueDogs]

Ha. Tulane smoked us last time we played.

And, uh, Birmingham <<<<<< NOLA. Come on.

Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a win. We also would have taken Tulane is a university with a national brand name and academics that are top notch, which is consistent with a flagship.

 

[huskysupporter]

UCONN is independent now - there will always be a sense of urgency to fill a schedule. Getting an FBS team is good considering where this program currently sits.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I don't think this is a great pick-up. However, out of the teams in the MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt, there aren't many I would want to schedule but UAB, Buffalo, and Appalachian State are ok. That being said, we are forced into scheduling games because we are behind on getting games scheduled. We need to focus on 7-8 years down the road NOW so that we can get better games then.

My goal is that we schedule 6 P5 programs a year (one body-bag game in November and five home and homes in September), Army, UMass, FCS, BYU/Liberty and two other G5 programs out of the AAC or MW.

I like the pick-up. I don't think 6 P5 teams is out of reach, but it's most likely we are going to get 3-4 bottom feeders with the occasional big name team on the schedule. Best bet is to schedule teams in areas we want to recruit and continue to build on the recruiting success we've seen this year.

 

[Exit 4]

I have said this before, but I wouldn't be surprised if we have some decent games lined up that are on hold waiting to see just what kind of juice Edsall delivers in 2021. By decent games I am hoping its Rutty, Pitt, UVA, for p5 H&Hs and maybe Coastal Carolina, a Texas series and maybe even an AAC series (of course I wont hold my breath on an AAC series all things considered) to fill in more slots. And then eventually we should see a BYU series and more UMass added to fill in the gaps after those other chips fall into place.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Ha. Tulane smoked us last time we played.

And, uh, Birmingham <<<<<< NOLA. Come on.

You saved me the trouble.

 

[John Greene]

Hopefully the roadwork just off downtown will be finished by then. We drove through the area twice in the past two years and the detours were a real mess. In fact, maybe this stadium was the reason for the road work.

The project was completed early last year. The stadium was not a factor, in fact the construction of the stadium did not start until it was done. The work involved tearing down and totally rebuilding the elevated roadway that carries a major Interstate (I 20) and a secondary Interstate (I 59) through the middle of the city. The AL Dept. of Transportation is not known for superior project management but on this one they were really amazing. The whole project was completed about a month earlier than plan and came in about $70 Million under the +/- $800 Million budget.

 

[Exit 4]

Another thing to consider - playoff expansion might result in a reduction in the regular season from 12 games to 11. 11 game seasons would not be good for us as surely it means the P5 schools will decide to reduce their OOC slots. It stands to reason that this ongoing discussion about playoff expansion has slowed the scheduling decisions of P5 schools.

 

[Brochacho]

Another thing to consider - playoff expansion might result in a reduction in the regular season from 12 games to 11. 11 game seasons would not be good for us as surely it means the P5 schools will decide to reduce their OOC slots. It stands to reason that this ongoing discussion about playoff expansion has slowed the scheduling decisions of P5 schools.

Well worst case scenario, if OOC games get squeezed across college football as a whole I wouldn't be surprised to see the "Northeastern-ish" teams of Army, UMass, UConn and Liberty form a quasi-conference and play each other H/H each year to reduce the need to schedule 12 games to 6.

 

[bobbyinaz]

Another thing to consider - playoff expansion might result in a reduction in the regular season from 12 games to 11. 11 game seasons would not be good for us as surely it means the P5 schools will decide to reduce their OOC slots. It stands to reason that this ongoing discussion about playoff expansion has slowed the scheduling decisions of P5 schools.

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Exit - like I said in the other thread, giving up home games will cost much of the P5 a bunch of cash. The attached article says Ohio State generated $56MM for 7 home games in 2019. Add in parking, concessions and whatever other incidentals there are and each game is close to $10MM. That's what lets these schools give out $1MM for "buy" games.

You are right that if they are forced to give up a game for an expanded playoff those "buy" games likely go away.

It also means that the only way an expanded playoff happens is if it creates a large cash grab for the P5 to make up for lost home game revenues. There is no way they allow any of that money to trickle down to the G5. Any thoughts of G5 auto bids is crazy. No way the P5 lets that happen

 

[Exit 4]

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Exit - like I said in the other thread, giving up home games will cost much of the P5 a bunch of cash. The attached article says Ohio State generated $56MM for 7 home games in 2019. Add in parking, concessions and whatever other incidentals there are and each game is close to $10MM. That's what lets these schools give out $1MM for "buy" games.

You are right that if they are forced to give up a game for an expanded playoff those "buy" games likely go away.

It also means that the only way an expanded playoff happens is if it creates a large cash grab for the P5 to make up for lost home game revenues. There is no way they allow any of that money to trickle down to the G5. Any thoughts of G5 auto bids is crazy. No way the P5 lets that happen

Well I think the idea is to shortening the regular season by one game, but then replace that lost game with a multi round playoff and maybe a playoff as big as a field of 16. The first round of the playoff would be at campus stadiums, maybe the second round too. Bowl system would largely be out the door or turned into an NIT type alt.

Yeah, the top programs in the B10 and SEC and perhaps a few others will be very resistant - but maybe the middle and bottom programs in the P5 that feel permanently locked out of the four way play off (ie Minnesota, Missouri, South Carolina, UNC, Washington) will win the argument. Its all about what ESPN can engineer for a playoff system pay out.

Or maybe they decide to stick with a 12 game season and go with the expanded playoff. The expanded playoff would mean just 1 to 2 games more for a handful of teams anyway.

And yes, whatever happens- the G5 (and their fans) will be lured into thinking it has a seat at the table and my guess is that after the final committee meeting their seat will have been reduced to a baby chair placed back in the corner again.

 

[UCFBfan]

Another thing to consider - playoff expansion might result in a reduction in the regular season from 12 games to 11. 11 game seasons would not be good for us as surely it means the P5 schools will decide to reduce their OOC slots. It stands to reason that this ongoing discussion about playoff expansion has slowed the scheduling decisions of P5 schools.

I'd be curious if this would cause lower P5 teams start to schedule more regional games. If they start to realize that they are continuing to be locked out of the top games AND are losing a game on top of it, they might be looking to increase some OOC game revenue and schedule a regional team? Maybe, and I know this might be pipe dream thinking, they can spark a little regional interest again. I can see the RU, Syracuse, BC of the NE deciding to play UConn or each other, because they want some added revenue and they would sell more tickets by playing regional teams. Losing a game hurts their bottom line. The P5 money helps, but so does another another OOC game. I'm probably having wishful thinking but I can dream, right??

 

[billybud]

I'd be curious if this would cause lower P5 teams start to schedule more regional games. If they start to realize that they are continuing to be locked out of the top games AND are losing a game on top of it, they might be looking to increase some OOC game revenue and schedule a regional team? Maybe, and I know this might be pipe dream thinking, they can spark a little regional interest again. I can see the RU, Syracuse, BC of the NE deciding to play UConn or each other, because they want some added revenue and they would sell more tickets by playing regional teams. Losing a game hurts their bottom line. The P5 money helps, but so does another another OOC game. I'm probably having wishful thinking but I can dream, right??

Boston College already has scheduled UMass, Maine, UConn, Rutgers, Temple, Holy Cross, and Army.

Syracuse already has scheduled Albany, UConn, Rutgers, Army, New Hampshire

 

[UCFBfan]

Boston College already has scheduled UMass, Maine, UConn, Rutgers, Temple, Holy Cross, and Army.

Syracuse already has scheduled Albany, UConn, Rutgers, Army, New Hampshire

I meant on a more regular basis than just a one H/H series. However, that list is good to see that it is happening.

 

[billybud]

BC and Syracuse play each other in region annually....add in the other conference games and their list of regional teams already scheduled, and that is about as good as you are gonna get...

Annual OOC H&H's are usually reserved for long time primary rivals...FSU-Florida, GT-Georgia, Clemson-South Carolina. Notre Dame-Southern Cal, Iowa-Iowa State.

 

[Chief00]

Wait a second- is it supposed to be an insult that I’d rather play games against USF/Temple than UAB? Wouldn’t you? We have no history with UAB and I’m pretty sure the Temple series was lauded by everyone when announced. I’d venture USF would as well- considering we actually have history against them and arguably the best accomplishment in program history happened by winning there.

UAB is a fine game. It doesn’t move the needle. It’s okay to admit that. Like others have said- it’s a late season game. I just don’t really get excited about playing games against CUSA/Sun Belt/MAC teams. That 2025 home schedule is BRUTAL as of now: CCSU, Ball State, UAB, FIU. They need to add some more sizzle, hopefully RU or Pitt or someone similar.

Dave needs to run things through the fans filter more. Between the economic pressures to play sure loss away pay games against marquee teams and Randy trying to demonstrate improvement by dumbing down the home schedule with sure (hopefully) wins against Central and Holy Cross’s of the NCAA World - it doesn’t leave enough H/H mid range P5 type teams, which I think realistically have the fan appeal (BC, Cuse, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, NC State, VA, etc). For Randy too many of these are likely losses and will lead to his termination, for Dave it doesn’t give him the $1 million plus away pay day game against the Clemson or OSU type teams, he needs for his budget. So the casual fans are left with what we are left with. Randy will point to the strength of schedule, which is distorted by the high ranking of the pay teams averaged in. Yes, we will see this movie many times.

 

[pepband99]

Dave needs to run things through the fans filter more. Between the economic pressures to play sure loss away pay games against marquee teams and Randy trying to demonstrate improvement by dumbing down the home schedule with sure (hopefully) wins against Central and Holy Cross’s of the NCAA World - it doesn’t leave enough H/H mid range P5 type teams, which I think realistically have the fan appeal (BC, Cuse, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, NC State, VA, etc). For Randy too many of these are likely losses and will lead to his termination, for Dave it doesn’t give him the $1 million plus away pay day game against the Clemson or OSU type teams, he needs for his budget. So the casual fans are left with what we are left with. Randy will point to the strength of schedule, which is distorted by the high ranking of the pay teams averaged in. Yes, we will see this movie many times.

Must you ruin every thread?

This is all wrong - the issue, as long as we're independent, is finding 12 games. Period. H/H's are crucial.

UAB is a "winnable" game in a recruiting area we would like to be seen in. Nothing more. Not every game will pass whatever smell test you're describing, but that would be impossible.

 

[UCFBfan]

Dave needs to run things through the fans filter more. Between the economic pressures to play sure loss away pay games against marquee teams and Randy trying to demonstrate improvement by dumbing down the home schedule with sure (hopefully) wins against Central and Holy Cross’s of the NCAA World - it doesn’t leave enough H/H mid range P5 type teams, which I think realistically have the fan appeal (BC, Cuse, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, NC State, VA, etc). For Randy too many of these are likely losses and will lead to his termination, for Dave it doesn’t give him the $1 million plus away pay day game against the Clemson or OSU type teams, he needs for his budget. So the casual fans are left with what we are left with. Randy will point to the strength of schedule, which is distorted by the high ranking of the pay teams averaged in. Yes, we will see this movie many times.

This is a two way street and you're going on the assumption that Dave can just pick up the phone and call one of these schools you mentioned and they'll sign up for a series with us. It's nice to want to play them but they need to have an opening and need to also want to play us. All the reasons you gave for Dave to schedule certain teams, applies to the teams you listed as well. I promise you we don't move any needles for P5 or many G5 teams.

 

[huskymedic]

... it doesn’t leave enough H/H mid range P5 type teams, which I think realistically have the fan appeal (BC, Cuse, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, NC State, VA, etc).

Boston College - H/H 22/23
Syracuse - H/H 22/25
Purdue - H/H 21/25
Indiana - H/H 26 (cancelled return game)
NC State - H/H 22/23

North Carolina - H/H 26/27
Duke - H/H 23/24
Wake Forest - 24/28
Maryland - H/H 23/26
Temple - H/H 24/26 & 27/28

 

[freescooter]

I agree with pepband. This is about scheduling a game we can get. Chgiefcand his cronies lobbied for the Big East for basketball. The price is that every other sport will face challenges putting together a schedule. Baseball plays in a league with 5 high school level teams. Football is independent and I give Dave credit for putting together solid schedules. Yeah, we play Holy Cross who were have played on and off since we upgraded. We play local 1aa teams. We’d have done it sooner but those games didn’t count until recent rule changes. It’s good for us good for them. Look at BYU’s home schedule especially late in the season. Look at Army. It is tough to schedule. Once conference games get in full swing.

As far as Edsall, he has pretty much remade this team from the hot mess Diaco left behind. Diaco recruited 1aa players but unlike basketball you can’t replace 2 guys and become competitive. Whether it has been successful or not remains to be seen but scheduling teams in 2028 is not that high on his agenda.